Preparation

Opening response

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord,the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,to you be glory and praise forever.From the deep waters of deathyou brought your people to new birthby raising your Son to life in triumph.Through him dark death has been destroyedand radiant life is everywhere restored.As you call us out of darkness into his marvelous lightmay our lives reflect his gloryand our lips repeat the endless song.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

Hymn

Stupendous Height of Heavenly Love

Charles Wesley

Stupendous height of heavenly love, Of pitying tenderness divine; It brought the Savior from above, It caused the springing day to shine; The Sun of Righteousness to appear,And gild our gloomy hemisphere.

Come, then, O Lord, thy light impart, The faith that bids our terrors cease; Into thy love direct our heart,Into thy way of perfect peace: And cheer the souls, of death afraid, And guide them through the dreadful shade.

Answer thy mercy's whole design, My God incarnated for me.My spirit make thy radiant shrine, My Light and full Salvation be; And through the shades of death unknown,Conduct me to thy dazzling throne.

Confession of sin

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,very patient, and full of faithful love.He doesn’t deal with us according to our sinor repay us according to our wrongdoing.Because as high as heaven is above the earth,that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,Holy and strong,Holy and immortal,have mercy upon us.

As far as east is from west—that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,that’s how the Lord feels compassion for those who honor him.

Let my whole being bless the Lord,and never forget all his good deeds.

The Word of God

Psalm 36

Refrain:Lord, your righteousness is like the strongest mountains; your justice is like the deepest sea.

I know the sinful utterance of the wicked: No fear of God confronts their own eyes, because in their own eyes they are slick with talk about their guilt ever being found out and despised.The words of their mouths are evil and dishonest. They have stopped being wise and stopped doing good.They plot evil even while resting in bed! They commit themselves to a path that is no good. They don’t reject what is evil.But your loyal love, Lord, extends to the skies; your faithfulness reaches the clouds.Your righteousness is like the strongest mountains; your justice is like the deepest sea. Lord, you save both humans and animals.Your faithful love is priceless, God! Humanity finds refuge in the shadow of your wings.They feast on the bounty of your house; you let them drink from your river of pure joy.Within you is the spring of life. In your light, we see light.Extend your faithful love to those who know you; extend your righteousness to those whose heart is right.Don’t let the feet of arrogant people walk all over me; don’t let the hands of the wicked drive me off.Look—right there is where the evildoers have fallen, pushed down, unable to get up!

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Lord, your righteousness is like the strongest mountains; your justice is like the deepest sea.

Psalm prayer

O God, the well of life,make us bright with wisdom,that we may be lightened with the knowledge of your gloryin the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 40

Refrain:Lord, let your loyal love and faithfulness always protect me.

I put all my hope in the Lord. He leaned down to me; he listened to my cry for help.He lifted me out of the pit of death, out of the mud and filth, and set my feet on solid rock. He steadied my legs.He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise for our God.Many people will learn of this and be amazed; they will trust the Lord.Those who put their trust in the Lord, who pay no attention to the proud or to those who follow lies, are truly happy!You, Lord my God! You’ve done so many things— your wonderful deeds and your plans for us— no one can compare with you! If I were to proclaim and talk about all of them, they would be too numerous to count!You don’t relish sacrifices or offerings; you don’t require entirely burned offerings or compensation offerings— but you have given me ears!So I said, “Here I come! I’m inscribed in the written scroll. I want to do your will, my God. Your Instruction is deep within me.”I’ve told the good news of your righteousness in the great assembly. I didn’t hold anything back— as you well know, Lord!I didn’t keep your righteousness only to myself. I declared your faithfulness and your salvation.I didn’t hide your loyal love and trustworthiness from the great assembly.So now you, Lord— don’t hold back any of your compassion from me.Let your loyal love and faithfulness always protect me, because countless evils surround me.My wrongdoings have caught up with me— I can’t see a thing!There’s more of them than hairs on my head— my courage leaves me.Favor me, Lord, and deliver me! Lord, come quickly and help me!Let those who seek my life, who want me dead, be disgraced and put to shame.Let those who want to do me harm be thoroughly frustrated and humiliated.Let those who say to me, “Yes! Oh, yes!” be destroyed by their shame.But let all who seek you celebrate and rejoice in you.Let those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord is great!”But me? I’m weak and needy. Let my Lord think of me.You are my help and my rescuer. My God, don’t wait any longer!

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Lord, let your loyal love and faithfulness always protect me.

Psalm prayer

Free us from our sins, O God,and may our sacrifices be of praiseto the glory of your Son,our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Old Testament readingDeuteronomy 12:1-14

These are the regulations and the case laws that you must carefully keep in the fertile land the Lord, your ancestors’ God, has given to you to possess for as long as you live on that land:

You must completely destroy every place where the nations that you are displacing worshipped their gods—whether on high mountains or hills or under leafy green trees. Rip down their altars and shatter their sacred stones. Burn their sacred poles with fire. Hack their gods’ idols into pieces. Wipe out their names from that place.

Don’t act like they did toward the Lord your God!

Instead, you must search for the location the Lord your God will select from all your tribes to put his name there, as his residence, and you must go there. You must bring your entirely burned offerings, your sacrifices, your tenth-part gifts, your contributions, your payments for solemn promises, your spontaneous gifts, and the oldest offspring of your herds and flocks to that place. You will have a feast there, each of you and your families, in the Lord your God’s presence, and you will celebrate all you have done because the Lord your God has blessed you. Don’t act like we’ve been acting here lately—everyone doing what seems right to them— because up to this point you haven’t yet reached the place of rest or the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. But you are about to cross the Jordan River and will settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. Then he will give you rest from all your enemies on every side so that you live safely and securely. At that point, you must bring all that I am commanding you, your entirely burned offerings, your sacrifices, your tenth-part gifts, your contributions, and all your best payments that you solemnly promised to the Lord, to the location the Lord your God selects for his name to reside. Then you will rejoice in the Lord your God’s presence: each of you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites who dwell in your cities because they have no designated inheritance.

But watch yourself! Make sure you don’t offer up your entirely burned offerings in just any place you see. No, only at the location the Lord selects from one of your tribal areas—that’s where you must offer up your entirely burned offerings and that’s where you must perform everything I’m telling you.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingEphesians 6:1-9

As for children, obey your parents in the Lord, because it is right. The commandment Honor your father and mother is the first one with a promise attached: so that things will go well for you, and you will live for a long time in the land. As for parents, don’t provoke your children to anger, but raise them with discipline and instruction about the Lord.

As for slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling and with sincere devotion to Christ. Don’t work to make yourself look good and try to flatter people, but act like slaves of Christ carrying out God’s will from the heart. Serve your owners enthusiastically, as though you were serving the Lord and not human beings. You know that the Lord will reward every person who does what is right, whether that person is a slave or a free person. As for masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Stop threatening them, because you know that both you and your slaves have a master in heaven. He doesn’t distinguish between people on the basis of status.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Refrain:The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. Alleluia.

With all my heart I glorify the Lord!In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favoredbecause the mighty one has done great things for me.Holy is his name.He shows mercy to everyone,from one generation to the next,who honors him as God.He has shown strength with his arm.He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.He has pulled the powerful down from their thronesand lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good thingsand sent the rich away empty-handed.He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,remembering his mercy, just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.

Luke 1:46-55

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. Alleluia.

Brief silence

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.Intercessions are offeredfor peacefor individuals and their needs

Response

Lord, hear your peopleand answer our prayers.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life:raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness,that we may seek those things which are above,where he reigns with youin the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.